433: Desperate struggle

The grim news of the annihilation battle in the Rebecca Galaxy reached the capital star of the Gallente Federation at the speed of light.

When the High Command confirmed that the Dreadnought fleet had fallen into a death trap carefully laid by the Caldari in the Rebecca Galaxy, a sense of despair instantly enveloped the entire power center of the Federation.

"Confirmed! Admiral Reyes's fleet has been surrounded in the Rebecca Galaxy by a Caldari fleet, with at least twenty Phoenix-class Dreadnoughts as the main force!"

"They utilized that Induction Beacon technology! We've fallen into their trap!" The communication officer's trembling voice echoed in the deathly silent Supreme Operations Conference Room.

On the holographic star map, the area representing the Rebecca Galaxy was locked tightly by a glaring red alarm, and the blue light spots symbolizing the trapped fleet were extinguishing one after another at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The disappearance of each light spot meant the "death" of hundreds of Clone Pilots and the loss of a starship, and it also represented a piece of flesh being brutally gouged out of the Gallente Federation's war potential.

"We must save them!" An old man in a Marshal's uniform slammed his hand on the table, his face ashen. "If this fleet is wiped out, and the defensive line of the Harkinen Star System is breached again, the Caldari's spearhead will be able to drive straight in and point directly at our heartland!"

"Even the capital Star Domain will have its gates thrown wide open! This will be a catastrophe!"

Panic spread like a virus among the high-ranking officials.

Having lost this strategic reserve, the Gallente would no longer have the strength to block the advance of the main Caldari fleet, and the shadow of national extinction had never approached so tangibly.

Driven by extreme crisis and panic, the Gallente Federation began to operate with unprecedented efficiency.

The entire nation's economy and social life were thoroughly integrated into a wartime trajectory, everything for the front line, everything to save the fleet in the Rebecca Galaxy.

"Activate the emergency mobilization order! All shipyards, work twenty-four hours a day! Produce all types of warships at full capacity, especially cruisers and battleships!"

"Clone Pilots training academies, cancel all advanced courses, compress basic training to the limit! All cadets who have completed basic operations are to be immediately incorporated into the reserve fleet and sent to the front line!"

On the massive industrial planet, the light of the furnaces never went out, and the assembly lines swallowed raw materials and the keels and armor of warships at an astonishing speed.

In the military academies, countless "rookie" Clone Pilots who had just completed neural link adaptation and were not even familiar with operating weapon Systems were hastily awarded military ranks, stuffed into warships that had just come off the line with paint still wet, formed into new "fleets," and sent through the Star Gate to the Rebecca Galaxy.

The combat effectiveness of these hastily assembled fleets can be imagined.

They lacked coordination and experience, and often, shortly after entering the battlefield, they turned into brilliant fireworks under the dense firepower of the elite Caldari fleet.

But with the wreckage of their warships, they forcibly delayed the speed at which the main Gallente fleet was being annihilated, buying precious time for the rear to mobilize.

Meanwhile, the Gallente High Command made a painful and decisive decision: cut off the tail to survive.

"Order all garrison troops in the Harkinen Star System to immediately execute the retreat plan! Abandon the existing defensive line, resist in stages, and retreat towards the Rebecca Galaxy! You must rendezvous with the trapped fleet!"

"Immediately deploy an Interdiction Bubble matrix behind the Star Gate exit! At all costs, delay the advance speed of the Caldari pursuers and buy time for the battle in the Rebecca Galaxy!"

The Gallente garrison in the Harkinen Star System began a great retreat after receiving the order.

They were withstanding the fierce offensive of the Caldari while frantically throwing out Interdiction Bubble generators behind the Star Gate.

Interdiction Bubbles spanning tens of thousands of kilometers were left behind as the Gallente fleet retreated; any ship attempting to pass through quickly would be forcibly intercepted and exposed to the garrison's artillery fire.

This measure was indeed effective.

The Caldari fleet pursuing from the direction of the Harkinen Star System had to act cautiously in the face of the dense Interdiction Bubbles, their advance speed significantly reduced, which relieved some of the pressure on the main battlefield in the Rebecca Galaxy.

However, the battle within the Rebecca Galaxy had evolved into a war of attrition more tragic and desperate than the Byniman-Bal battle.

In just three days, this Star Domain had turned into a true interstellar meat grinder.

The trapped Gallente fleet, under the command of Admiral Reyes, fought with their backs against the wall and erupted with astonishing combat power.

Especially those "Moros-class" Dreadnoughts that activated the "Battle Module"; they sacrificed all mobility in exchange for powerful offensive capabilities.

Every salvo could pose a serious threat to the Caldari's Phoenix-class, successfully damaging and even destroying several enemy ships.

However, the absolute numerical inferiority and the fatal weakness of being unable to move made them live targets for the Caldari fleet to prioritize and focus fire on.

Even more fatal was that as the battle continued, the cruisers, destroyers, and vital logistics ships protecting them were constantly lost under the dense firepower of the Caldari.

Logistics supplies became precarious, repair beams began to fail to keep up with the speed of armor damage, shield cycles appeared with gaps, and energy battery supplies fell short.

"Shield overload! Armor damage exceeds thirty percent! The second logistics squad has been completely wiped out! Repairs cannot keep up with the damage rate!"

"Structure damaged! Left turret cluster disabled!"

Desperate battle reports kept coming in.

A Moros-class ship had its shields completely pierced and armor melted through under the concentrated fire of several Caldari Phoenix-class ships.

Finally, in a sympathetic detonation that swept through the entire hull, it turned into a short-lived and huge fireball, eventually falling silent into cold wreckage.

Admiral Reyes watched the fire of that exploding Dreadnought, the corners of his eyes splitting, his heart aching like it was being cut by a knife.

These were the lifeblood of the Federation!

"Admiral! If this continues, we won't last much longer! We must find a way!" The adjutant's voice carried a sob.

At the High Command in the capital, the atmosphere had become oppressive to the extreme.

The rescue fleet suffered heavy losses, and the defensive line in the Rebecca Galaxy was crumbling. The damage reports of the Dreadnoughts even gave a sense that the outcome was already decided.

Just then, a voice rang out in the desperate silence, carrying a desperate, all-or-nothing madness: "Perhaps... we still have one way."

Everyone's gaze focused on the Minister of Diplomatic Affairs who spoke.

"The Amarr Empire." He said slowly, "They must be coveting the Caldari's Induction Beacon technology. If we use detailed intelligence on this technology as a bargaining chip, and even promise to share research results with them after the war, perhaps we can persuade them to intervene militarily?"

"Isn't that Caldari beacon ship still under our control?"

That's right, that high-value ship was chased by the Gallente interception team due to insufficient energy, and it had absolutely no chance of escaping the battlefield.

The conference room was in an uproar. Seeking help from the Amarr Empire? This was no different than inviting a wolf into the house! The ambition of the Amarr Empire was known to all.

"This is our only hope!" The Minister of Foreign Affairs said excitedly, "Otherwise, what awaits us is the destruction of our nation!"

"As long as the Amarr fleet can force the Caldari to retreat, we can save our main force, and there will still be a future! Otherwise, everything is meaningless!"

After intense and short-lived debate, the cruel reality overwhelmed all concerns, and the Supreme Council finally passed the resolution by a narrow margin.

A secret diplomatic note was sent to the Amarr Empire, requesting urgent military assistance, with the core intelligence of the "Induction Beacon" technology and the ownership of the spoils of war as bargaining chips.

Of course, there were some terms that might not appear on the surface.

In the capital of the Amarr Empire, in the Empress's council chamber, the Minister of Internal Affairs presented this "letter of distress" from the Gallente.

"Your Majesty, the Gallente cannot hold on much longer. They are willing to trade all the intelligence they have on the Caldari's 'Induction Beacon' technology and post-war benefit distribution in exchange for our military intervention."

Behind the pearl curtain, the corners of the Regent Empress's mouth curled up.

"Induction Beacon, a technology that can achieve precise hyperspace delivery of flagships." She whispered softly, her eyes flashing with greed.

"This is indeed what we need. Caldari... it seems your technological development is indeed unsettling."

"Tell the Gallente," the Empress made a decision after weighing the pros and cons.

"The Empire can send troops, but there are two conditions."

"First, all intelligence and source channels regarding the Induction Beacon must be unconditionally handed over to the Empire. Second, after the battle in the Rebecca Galaxy ends, the right to clean up the battlefield and subsequent rights and interests shall belong entirely to the Empire. Of course, this includes that disputed border."

This was almost an open robbery, but the Gallente had no choice.

The agreement was reached quickly. One side for survival, the other for technology and strategic advantage.

The order was transmitted from the Amarr Imperial Palace and arrived at the deepest secret base of the Imperial Navy.

"Fleet, sortie!"

In an unknown Star Domain on the border of the Empire, a huge and terrifying fleet began to start its engines.

The core of this fleet was not the revelation-class, but three giant ships with larger volumes, slightly strange shapes, and an aura that exuded suffocating pressure.

The Amarr Empire's "eon-class" supercarriers.

On their decks, thousands of the latest carrier-based aircraft were densely parked. Surrounding them were swarms of battleships, cruisers, and support ships, like stars surrounding the moon.

This fleet, representing the highest technology and military force of the Amarr Empire, tore through the quiet starry sky and began to jump towards the direction of the Rebecca Galaxy.